A Thousand Years
by 14freckles
Summary: Jack never had anyone until Belle, a little girl who is awed by the spirit, comes along. But all good things must come to an end and Jack does his best to avoid her. A few years later, they're reunited but she isn't the same wonder filled girl he'd met before. Can Jack get her back to the way she was before? What happens when things get complicated in more ways than one? JackXOC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or Jack Frost (sadly).**

* * *

Belle sat up in her bed groggily. She stretched, and yawned, and rubbed her eyes. Still half under her comforter, she looked around, not really looking for anything, but her eyes landed on the window. She sprung out of bed and ran toward the window.

"Thnow! Mommy, its thnowing!" The six year old exclaimed with a lisp because of her missing two front teeth while bouncing up and down excitedly.

There was no response.

She looked at the princess clock on her dresser. It was only eight o' clock. Belle never got up this early, especially on the weekends. No one got up this early on weekends.

Which meant no one would be awake for a while but Belle wanted to go outside now. She had to think of something. Then, a light switched on in her mind and she had an idea.

The little girl pulled her small chair over to her dresser, climbed up, and plucked a shirt from her drawer. She picked out the rest of her clothes and quickly changed before running out of her room, down the hall, and down the steps.

Her coat was on the railing and her boots were on stairs. The problem was getting the hat and gloves. But with a bit of struggle, Belle managed to pull a chair from the dining room in front of the closet. She climbed up yet she still wasn't tall enough to reach her gloves and hat, which sat in a basket on the top of the closet.

Thinking, she plopped herself down in the chair. Her eyes wandered to the pile of boxes filled with Christmas decorations. Suddenly, she had an idea. Belle scampered down from the chair.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, she was standing on top of a crate on top of a step stool on the chair. Her make shift ladder wobbled a bit but she was able to retrieve her desired items. She climbed down and dressed herself.

She twisted the doorknob and it swung open, but before she could step outside the family's beagle puppy sprinted past her out the door.

"Pepper! Come back here!" The puppy stopped to look back at the girl then bounded out of their yard. Ignoring the sound of her make-shift ladder crashing to the floor, Belle hurried after her but she stopped dead in her tracks when she reached the end of the block. She wasn't allowed to go any farther, especially without her parents.

"Pepper, come back. Please?" She whimpered as she watched the little dog run farther away.

The little girl started to cry and ran back to her house. She couldn't get the door open again so she dropped to the floor frustrated and upset. Belle was sitting on the porch sobbing when she heard something like bare feet on the porch.

"Poor kid. What happened? Get in trouble?" A voice said. Even though he didn't sound like he wanted a response but she gave him one anyway.

"No, my puppy ran away." She informed the person, her voice muffled by her gloves. "What?" The voice sounded surprised.

Belle looked up to see a teenage boy with silvery white hair and a bewildered look on his face. She wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve. "My puppy ran away." The little girl repeated.

"You can hear me and see me?" She nodded.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked sitting next to her.

"Yeah, you're Jack Frost. Like in that movie but you're a lot younger." He laughed a little.

"Yes, that's me! An-and you believe in me?" Belle nodded again. "My older thister said you're not real but I knew you were."

He just sat there for a minute smiling, and then he looked back at her. "Hey, kid, you said you're dog ran away right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Let's go get her." He stood up and walked off the porch but his feet didn't touch the ground. In other words, he was floating. Belle's eyes widen at the sight.

"I'm not allowed to go off the pavement without my mommy and daddy." She managed, still in wonder.

"I'll be with you."

"But you're just a teenager."

"Want to know a secret?" Belle nodded excitedly. "I'm over 250 years old."

She gave the snow haired boy a skeptical look.

"I really am."

"But Jack–"

"Do you want your dog back or not?" After a moment, the little girl nodded.

"Alright, then get on your sled."

Ten minutes later, Belle was sitting on her plastic sled gripping the sides like she would never let go while Jack flew beside her and made an ice path to for the girl.

"Jack, look!" She said letting go of the sled for a second to point at a certain beagle a few feet in front of them.

"Alright. I've got her."

He waited until they got as close as possible before scooping up the puppy. Then Jack directed the ice back to Belle's house. At home, the six year old closed the gate before the winter spirit put the puppy down making sure she couldn't get out again.

"She's pretty cute." He remarked as the beagle attack him with kisses.

"I think she thinks you're cute too." Belle giggled.

"Okay, okay." He laughed and gently pushed the puppy off of him.

"Hey, kid."

"Yeah?"

"What's your name? I mean, I can't call you kid forever."

"My name's Belle." She said cheerily

"Well, Belle, have you ever had a snowball fight?" She shook her head. "The older kids thay I'm too little."

"Well, how about we have a snowball fight? Right now." "Really?"

"Sure."

"Yay!" Belle was really beginning to like her new friend.

Jack and Belle played for a few hours. He helped her build a snowman and they had a snowball fight and made snow angels. When it was time for him to leave, Belle went over and hugged him.

"Do you really have leave?"

"Yeah, sorry kiddo." He said kneeling down and ruffling her hair.

"But y-you will come back and play with me again, right Jack?" She sniffled partially from the cold but aslo because of the tears welling up in her emerald eyes.

"I promise. Every chance I get, I'll come back. But can you promise me something?" She nodded. "Keep believing in me, okay kiddo? No matter what, you have to or I can't come back. You can do that, can't you?" She nodded.

"I'll always believe in you, Jack Frost."

* * *

Jack was up to his usual winter activities when a thought came to mind. He hadn't been to Pennybrooke in a while and he had a promise to keep. So he flew there as fast as he could. The funny thing was Jack was a little nervous. He couldn't help but wonder about the only friend he ever had.

What if Belle had moved away? What if she didn't remember him? What if she didn't believe in him anymore? But he convinced himself that those thoughts were silly. Of course, she still believed in him, she had to.

Finally, the town came into sight and Jack looked for the familiar blue house with a white porch. By the time he actually found it, he had almost given up, thinking he was in the wrong town.

But there it was; he could even seen Pepper, who wasn't so little anymore, running around the front yard. Just as his bare feet touched the paved walk way Pepper tackled him.

"Hey girl. Alright, alright, I'm happy to see you, too. Where's Belle?"

The dog barked excitedly and ran in a small circle before running into the back yard. "Okay, I'll take it you want me to follow you." He said as he casually walked into the back yard after the beagle.

Just as Jack reached the brick patio where Pepper sat, a girl, about ten, walked through the back door of the house into the yard. Jack did the math quickly. Belle would be around ten…right? Yet, this girl didn't look very much like the Belle he knew. Her hair was short and it was dyed black and pink not long and chocolate colored but when she looked toward him, he saw a familiar face.

"Hey freckles." He said stepping forward.

She acted as if he hadn't said anything.

"I see your teeth grew back." He tried.

Again, no response. She just walked closer.

"I can't believe you dyed your—" Jack was cut short when she phased right though him.

"Ugh, Pepper, look at you! You're all muddy. Stupid snow making everything gross." She walked back in the house.

"Belle?" He said with a hollow voice.

Jack looked back at Pepper and she seemed to shake her head but Jack left. He found himself consumed by bitter thoughts. Sure, everyday Jack dealt with kids not believing in him, but this time it was different. It was worse somehow.

_**So this was my first published fanfic. I hope you like it. I'll most likely continue it either way but I would really like to know what you guys thought.** **So please review!**_


	2. Curious Dreams

**Disclaimer: I don't own ROTG or Jack Frost**

**A/N: Anything that is in italics and not bolded is one of three things: A thought, a dream, or a memory. Also to put emphasis on a word but you guys are smart and knew that already. It should be esy to figure out what the italics are from the context if I don't come right out and say it.**

* * *

The seventeen year old moved across the frozen lake with ease, ignoring the harsh winds that whirled around her. Skating came naturally to Belle. It should considering she had been skating since she was five.

When she was little, she had always dreamed of being a professional ice skater in the winter Olympics but all those dreams collapsed a long time ago. But that was fine; she was content living on her uncle's farm. She lived alone, of course. After everything that happened, her aunt had tried to get her as far away as possible as fast as possible. Her excuse was always the same. "Living alone for a while will be good for you. No stress, just you and the great outdoors."

She scoffed at the woman's pathetic attempt to keep her from feeling unwanted. Her aunt knew nothing about her or the great outdoors.

Back from memory lane, the girl looked around once before attempting something she hadn't done in a while: a double toe loop. Going into the jump, Belle suddenly freaked out and ended up landing it wrong. She felt a pain in her ankle and knew she'd have to check it when she got home. She doubted anything was actually wrong but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Akila, a wolf-dog hybrid, ears perked up when she fell.

"I'm okay." The girl assured the animal.

She stood up and skated back to the edge of the pond. "But it's getting dark out so we should head home now."

Akila stood up and walked beside Belle even after she climbed on Ash, her horse, and rode back to the little cabin turned cottage. She took Ash back to the stables and made sure to give both Ash and Cinna an apple before retreating to the warmth of her home.

Akila had already seated herself on her favorite spot on the sofa when the seventeen year old walked in. She made popcorn and sat on the couch next to the dog.

"What movie should we watch tonight?" Belle asked her pet.

The young wolf dog scampered off the couch and grabbed a DVD from the movie pile. Belle sighed and rolled her eyes when Akila placed a beat up copy of "Balto" on her lap. "We always watch that."

Akila whimpered and licked Belle's hand. "I know it's your favorite movie but I don't want to watch it again. I'll pick the movie this time."

As the girl crossed the room, bringing the teeth marked Balto movie back with her, she realized how crazy she would seem to an outsider. First of all, she talked to her pets like they could actually understand her. Then again, most people didn't understand Belle either. She also tended talked to herself and had sudden freak-outs that would make the most professional therapist uncomfortable. She really was better off on her own.

Lost in her thoughts, she grabbed a random movie and popped it into the player. Her pet tilted her head to the side as the title appeared on the screen.

"What? Jack Frost is perfectly appropriate for today."

It was the old stop motion version like Rudolph and 'The Year Without A Santa Claus', where Jack falls in love and turns human but doesn't get the girl in the end. Belle had loved watching these movies but they must've gotten moved about to and fro while she had been moving about to and fro. Akila had fallen asleep halfway through but the girl stared wide-eyed at the film in front of her.

Afterwards, while she was cleaning up and reading herself to go to sleep she found the cute little song from the film had gotten itself stuck in her mind.

"If you try to turn around (Jack Frost), when you his icy sound (Jack Frost), he's sure to disappear but you know Jack Frost is here." She mumbled to herself as she climbed into bed. The snowy mischief-maker occupied her thoughts until she fell asleep and even after her eyes closed, he popped up in her dreams.

_"Mommy, what does he mean Jack Frost is __nipping at my nose?" Belle asked sweetly._

_"It's just an expression sweetheart. It means __he's making you cold starting with your nose." Her mother explained._

_"Oh, okay because I __never understood that line." _

_Soon, a flurry of white drifted down from the __clouds, blanketing the world around them. __"It's snowing." She said in awe. _

_"I __guess he heard you talking about him." Her father remarked. _

_"Do you __really think he made it snow because of me?" She wondered scooting toward the __window and pressing her nose against the glass. _

_"Maybe." Her mother encouraged__. _

_"It would be nice if Jack Frost would stop covering the roads with snow, though. Why don't you ask him?" Her father said but Belle wasn't sure if he were joking or not. She decided to give it a try._

_"Jack, could you maybe make it not snow on the streets? It makes it awfully dangerous to drive." She whispered._

The scene of the dream switched to another memory from a few weeks later.

_Belle__ sat in front of the window, glaring at the snow. She hated snow more than she hated math. The child sniffled and her uncle walked into the room. "Hey, champ, your cousins and I are going to watch a movie. Wanna join us? Your aunt just made cookies and hot cocoa with the little marshmallows." _

_"What movie?" _

_"Jack Frost. I know it's one of your favorites." _

_Belle__'s temper flared. "I hate Jack Frost! I hate him and his stupid snow and winter! I hate everything about him!" _

_She stormed out of the room and up to the guest bedroom. She slammed the door as hard as she could and the lights in the room shook. She hated the winter spirit with a burning passion. _

Through the night, Belle's dreams changed repeatedly before she finally awoke just as exhausted as when she went to bed.

_**So this is the first actual chapter of the story. I hope it didn't give too much away or confuse anyone. Please review because I'd really like to know what you guys like and don't like and what you think I should change or if it's too short or too long or just anything really.**_


End file.
